M48A3 Mod.B

Published: August 8, 2014
Company: Dragon Models

A new release in Dragon’s Black series of modern armor the M48A3 Mod.B is a welcome option over the aged Tamiya M48A3 kit from decades ago. Hopefully the drawbacks and challenges of the old Tamiya M48A3 have been corrected with this new release.

Build Notes

Before starting, the Dragon kit has modest cast hull texture; so if a rougher cast texture is desired, glue the hull top & bottom together first adding parts A3, A4, D1 & D3. The mounting pad for D17 & D18 bumper will need to be built up to support the extended double bumper. You may also want to assemble the F13 & F20 Turret upper & lower along with F10, F11, & E1before adding casting texture. Proceed to add cast texture before starting Step 1.

Steps 1-4

Dragon missed the… more

Type G4 (W31) WWII German Personnel Car with Open Cover

Published: April 12, 2014
Company: ICM

The G4 personnel car was designed for the Wehrmacht, but was deemed too expensive and complex for mass production. Only 72 were produced for use by high-ranking state and military officials.

Some notes that will make the assembly steps easier:

• Step 1. Part A15, the transmission, has no part callout number tab on the sprue tree, so it has to be searched for.
• Step 2-3. Watch for the light mold seam flash on the intake manifold. Also, take care with the delicate generator belt, it is a fragile part.
• Step 4-6. Test and sand-to-fit the inner tire rings to fit properly. Also, test fit the tires on the axle mounts, as the tire hubs may need to be drilled deeper for better engagement.
• Step 7-9. Take care with delicate frame cross members and… more

Russian Self-Propelled Gun SU-152 (KV-14)

Published: January 23, 2014
Company: Bronco Models

The Beast

As the SU-152 is known as one of the stops on evolutionary scale for the KV-1 chasis before it was overshadowed by JS-Series.

As a newbie to Bronco kits, I was pleasantly surprised to open the box to slide molded sprues, 3 bags of individual linked track sprues and a sprue of clear modular interior & exterior periscopes.

Upon inspection of the instructions, there are multiple sprues of similar looking parts. Watch for the grayed out “Do not use parts” listed as similar looking parts on the same sprue can lead to using the incorrect parts, confusion, and loss of functionality.

Scanning the instructions further reveal Bronco’s engineering of a working articulating torsion bar, suspension, a full gun carriage, semi complete driver station,… more